When I was a child, like many others, I had some small die-cast cars toys. While they are fun to throw around and play with, I never really paid too much attention to them. Back then it was just a yellow car, or a red truck that rolls around the floor. As I grew older, what these die-cast toys can be became more obvious: they can be a representation of a your dream car or rather dream cars. So everyone can have a tangible Ferrari or Lamborghini in their collection and everyone can have a dream garage filled with whatever their heart desires. For one reason or another, throughout all these years, I never bought my dream cars in their die-cast toy form. It seems that I actually prefer to have toys of the cars that I actually own no matter how lousy it is rather than a great fantasy garage. And so here’s my latest addition to my toy cars collection:

2008 Porsche Boxster S 1/18 scaled die-cast car by Welly. I searched for these (or any other Boxster die-cast toys) for a long time, it was hard to find these Boxster S (the 987 model) die-cast in red color. I was finally able to find some old stock at Kevin’s Hobbies. And best of all, I actually found two of them, one with the convertible top up, and another with the convertible top down. And here they are in their typical clear window box.

I don’t own many male figures, and I don’t own any other Gintama (銀魂) figure. But after seeing the pre-order picture for this Hijikata Toushirou PVC from the Gintama series, I placed an order for him. Maybe it’s his cool looks, or maybe it’s the extravagant mayonnaise display (see details below). Either way the Shinsenguimi number two now joins the rare group in my figure collection. MegaHouse isn’t exactly known to make really great figures. For the Gintama series, they have previously released Sakata Gintoki in April of 2010. The Gintoki figure really did not impress me. I thought they have really done a poor job on the series’ main character. But this Hijikata figure seems to be much better than Gintoki especially in terms of the face sculpture and the paint. Another figure in the same series Sougo Okita is slated to be released in October 2010.

G.E.M. Series Gintama Hijikata Toushirou 1/8 PVC by MegaHouse (銀魂 土方 十四郎).Original Sculptor Moriwaki Naoto (森脇直人). Released on June 2010 with an MSRP of ¥6,600.

This is another one of my figure/doll photography 121 post. A few months ago, I’ve posted an article on how to produce a true black background without the use of any black background material and/or image editing software. I wrote about the black background because I find most people does not know how light works its magic in a photography sense. The people I talk to tends to instinctively come to the conclusion that if a photo’s background is black, then there must be something black behind it. If you have read my article, then you would see that a true black background actually resulted from a lack of light coming towards to your camera. Today I want to look at the opposite side of the gray scale — how to produce a white background?

Well again a lot of people instinctively think that a white background is the result of placing some kind of white material behind the subject. Below is a photo that I took in front of a white fabric backdrop. However, when compared to the white frame that borders the picture, you can clearly see that the actual background is not 100% white. In fact if you load it into an image editing software, you will see that the background is somewhere between 96% – 92% on the gray scale. On the gray scale there’s only one white point which is at the very end of the gray scale. Anything that’s not 100% on the gray scale, or 255, 255, 255 in RGB value is not pure white. And 255, 255, 255 RGB value is what the background must be if we were to call it a true white background. Anything less is just a different shades of gray.

I have posted back in 2009 that I purchased a pre-painted resin figure of Volks’ Hatsune Miku from e2046. This particular Hatsune Miku resin kit was original released by Volks Japan in Wonder Festival 2008 at an price of ¥14,490. It was later released by Volks Japan as a 1/6 PVC figure in August 2008 with an MSRP of ¥7,140. Now e2046 sells recast resin garage kit as well as pre-painted recast resign figures. And in case you are wondering, yes they simply made copies of the original kit and sell these copies. Now I do try to avoid these recast figures, but because garage kits in Japan are very expensive and very limited in production quantity, it is not always possible to get my hand on the original. And because garage kits are typically produced in such tiny small quantities and that they do not have any lost of market outside Japan, I do from time to time buy recast garage kits from places like e2046. However, if possible, I do still want to get my hand on the original.

Around end of 2009 and beginning of 2010, Volks Japan did another re-issued version of this figure as an “Encore Package” during Comiket 77 (December 29-31, 2009) and New Kit Exhibition 2010 (January 1-11 2010). And so my quest to get the original started.

Hatsune Miku Encore Package 1/6 PVC by Volks (初音ミク アンコールパッケージ). Original Sculptor Milchstraße (ミルヒ・シュトラーセ). Released on May 2010 with an MSRP of ¥7,560.

I’ve purchased Alter’s Saber Maid PVC a little over two years ago. A little over one year ago, I’ve purchased a Dollfie Dream Saber and the Dollfie Dream Saber Maid costume. Give the fact that I own a number of PVCs, nendoroids, as well as a Dollfie Dream Saber, and that I also own Saber Maid in both PVC and as a dollfie dream costume, you can conclude that I’m definitely a fan of Saber maid. And when I see that Alter will be releasing a PVC of Saber Alter in maid costume, I just had to have it.

Saber Alter Maid 1/6 PVC by Alter (アルター セイバーオルタ メイド Ver.). Original sculptor 倉本 育馬. Released on May 2010 with an MSRP of ¥8,000. (Yes it is from the same sculptor and same manufacture as the original Saber Maid PVC but now a little cheaper.)

The box shots front and back. The box is very nice, black box with only silhouette of Saber showing through the matte black color. So fitting for Saber alter.